Branson recommendations

Here is a question for all you south west Missourians. Next year will be my 70th birthday and the bride wants to take a trip to celebrate the occasion. She asked me where and when I would like to go. I thought I would pick a place where I could fish and we could do the tourist thing. Branson came to mind because of all the touristy things available and Tanycomo and Table Rock Lake are close to do some fishing. I fish for crappie, bass, bluegill and trout (just about anything). What I need is a recommendation for a motel or resort for some time next spring or early summer that is nice enough for her, and close enough to one of the lakes for me. And I would like a recommendation for a Guide that I might hire for a day to teach me about the fishing in the area. I will probably also need to rent a boat for a couple of the days, because I will probably not drag mine all the way there.

Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

Lilley's Landing is a great family atmosphere for a family to be at. It's right off Taneycomo and has clean facilities with boat rentals and even a guide if you wanted to take that route. I have stayed there numerous times and always had a great time from them. Hope this helps!

Right next to Lilley's Landing is Ozark Trout Resort they are who we use all the above facilities.

I am from Southeast Missouri but have made a similar vacation as you described. Be aware that Taneycomo and Tablerock are two different experiences. Taney is a tailwater of course,river like,cool and varies in depth and current based on the release at the dam. It is the trout waters. The newly developed waterfront is nice to visit.

Tablerock is clear and deep.The main lake can get huge waves with wind and boat traffic. Early morning though it can be real slick.Prepare to fish deep for the most part.

If you can find a resort with a boat slip I would bring your boat and keep it there. That way you can get up early and go for a while,then sightsee and stuff during the day and try to get back to fish the last hour or two each day and maybe a little at night. I was lucky and scored a condo from a friend who had a boat slip. If you can rent a condo with slip on the Lake and close to town it is a nice way to go. I went in September and the crappie bite had not picked up yet but I managed to find some spotted and largemouth bass in some timber and had a good time catching them. It's a good vacation lots to do , pretty country,catch a couple shows,sightsee,eat until it hurts. Not a place for a jetsetting playboy but for an old country boy it's okay.

Early spring will require a little different game plan than early summer.Early spring you will have the chance to fish shallow and you will want to be on one of the better creek arms.

It's a good idea to leave your boat at home if you aren't planning a full week of fishing. You'll be lucky to get in full days because there really is so much to do. Plus you have a couple of options fishing on Taneycomo. There is a trophy trout area for fly fishing with artificials only, if you enjoy that. It is accessible by car, but you will probably want to take waders and your fly rod. You can also bank fish for smaller trout with any bait below the trophy area. The resorts (lilly's, etc) all have bank fishing facilities and rental boats. Branson and the area around it is just crazy with things to do and see. It is also crazy with traffic, so give yourself plenty of time and take a deep breath :biggrin

Take some time an look at the map. Highway 76 is a parking lot most of the time but there are several new roads that give you back door access.


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Heroes Vacation Club, heroesvacationclub.com is an awesome travel website I have used it for Branson three times and stayed at the Hollywood Hills Resort each visit. It's $350.00 flat rate for up to seven rights. It's intended for government employees active or retired(municipal, state, or federal) and their families; however when I booked I was never asked any questions. They fill empty timeshares, and you cannot beat the rates. Highly recommend this website.

I lived in SW Mo. a few years back and crappie fished Table Rock several times. Watch the weather and if we get a little warm period in late March I would highly recommend that time period. The fish get pretty active in a prespawn or spawn mode. In addition, I would avoid the mid lakes area, that water is waaaaay too clear. I would recommend 2 areas in the southern and northern end of the lake-first the Cricket Creek and Long Creek area and the second area on the north end of the lake is around Cape Fair. Also during this time frame - the crowds in Branson are not as vicious. Hope you and your wife have a great trip.





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